Knife Pleat
**A LA CARTE DINNER TUESDAY-THURSDAY & SATURDAY 5-7:30**
**6-COURSE TASTING MENU EVERY FRIDAY AT 6:30. $175/PERSON WITH OPTIONAL $90 WINE PAIRING**
Knife Pleat is an elegant and approachable French restaurant helmed by Michelin-starred chef Tony Esnault and restaurateur Yassmin Sarmadi, who are well-known in the Los Angeles culinary scene. The couple’s chic new restaurant will showcase modern, seasonal interpretations of classic French techniques by Esnault, one of California’s best French chefs.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Staff temperature check required
- Diner temperature check required
One of our favorite places! Consistently amazing.
I had another delightful dining experience at Knife Pleat! The cuisine and service were impeccable, with the heated patio providing a relaxing and comfortable environment. Chef Esnault prepared his always delicious risotto, topped with some of the freshest and most fragrant black truffle I've had in recent memory. The special, Scottish Wood Pigeon, was beautifully lacquered and served over roasted wild mushrooms and demi glace, with sautéed root vegetables and a special addition. Sommelier, Victor, has curated a diverse cellar which pairs well with any dish on the menu.
Outstanding meal. The Breem was fantastic and the venison was the best I have tasted. Dishes were superb as was the service. Highly recommend.
Fabulous food - delicious and beautifully presented - servers are fantastic, a definite 'must'!
If you’re looking for a wonderful and intimate dinner with your spouse/significant other or a few friends, Knife Pleat is the spot! It is higher priced, but well worth the experience you won’t get anywhere nearby.
We're happy to hear you enjoyed your experience with us. Thank you for your review!
One of the most amazing and decadent meals we’ve ever had. And this was even on Valentines (which we all know is not the best time for a great meal).
Will be back many times for sure
Thank you very much! We appreciate your patronage and knowing we met your expectations.
Absolutely first class food. Beautiful, imaginative, impeccably prepared. Excellent wine pairings with a knowledgeable sommelier to offer information. Waitstaff happy to answer questions about dishes and well informed. Given covid restrictions, we were on the patio rather than indoors. The furniture seemed to me a bit informal for a restaurant at this level; no flowers on the table. But that is very minor. The service was excellent, and we had an outstanding, memorable meal that marked a special occasion very appropriately. I would say it was good value given the right comparison--high level destination restaurants in New York or Paris, for instance. Compliments to the chef, all the kitchen staff, and the entire front-of-house staff.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. We appreciate hearing that you had an enjoyable experience as well as your feedback on our decor. We look forward to serving you again!
Everything here is artful & delicious and the patio setting is tranquil. The ivory soup (winter vegetables, chestnuts, and truffle) was memorable. We are lucky to have this talented chef in OC!
Upon reopening after the state-mandated restaurant closure, the service and cuisine proved resilient. Both are excellent.
Thank you for dining with us and for your nice comments. We appreciate your patronage and knowing you enjoyed your experience.
We had a perfect lunch experience before the Governor's lock down. Great service and delicious foods. Thumbs up.
Wonderful food, best frites crispy outside creamy inside. Serene civilized like the best French dining experiences. Wonderful butter that they churn themselves. Yummy cocktails. Professional but friendly not snooty service. Lovely experience in open air patio. Pecan and pumpkin tart excellent.
We waited over 25 minutes to be seated and spent 2 hours for lunch. Food was good but pricey. The chance for us to go back is zero, as we don’t care to spend a whole afternoon just for lunch.
Good food but the seating was limited
Keeping our staff and guests safe is a priority for us. Therefore, we utilize only our outdoor patio for seating and maintain a safe distance between tables as mandated by the CDC and Health department. This does result in a limited seating capacity for us. We're happy to hear you liked the food.
Foods were excellent and service was impeccable.
Contemporary French food. Very well done. Beautiful patio and decor. service is excellent.
Knife Pleat has done an excellent job of creating a pleasant ambience on their outdoor patio. The presentations were beautiful and the food delicious and perfectly prepared. While all the servers and kitchen staff were very Covid compliant I was a bit concerned that there was a gentleman in a dark suit who was talking to the chef by the restroom entrance without a mask, and he later went to at least two tables unmasked. It is imperative that all staff and management wear masks during the pandemic.
Excellent food and wonderful service! The duck is to die for, cooked perfectly. My 12-year old son, who has never had venison, loved it. We felt very safe eating in the patio.
Simply amazing food and service! Highly recommend
Friendly service , good food .. relaxing ambience
Every visit to Knife Pleat is an exciting culinary adventure. Chef Tony Esnault and his staff consistently deliver the best of modern French cuisine. I dare say no one else in the Orange County area is cooking at such a high level. The presentations are as delicious as they are beautiful. In an ode to Provence, a tender pan seared halibut was served along side a trio of braised, fermented and sauced fennel, dotted with gorgeous green olives. The Guinea Hen was served as a duo, poached and confit. A piece of the warm housemade bread was required to mop up every last bit of the two velvety accompanying sauces. Finally, an autumnal apple and vanilla panna cotta with earl grey crumble was a perfect ending to a memorable dinner. The wine list is well curated and offers something for a wide variety of palettes. Service at Knife Pleat is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. I look forward to returning as soon as possible.
Had a catch up lunch at Knife Pleat with a friend and requested seating on their private patio--just delightful and excellent safety protocols.
We both ended up with the three course prix fixe lunch which for $34 is an astonishing deal for cuisine of this quality. In my book, best French food in OC and prepared in a light, flavorful way using ingredients that are thoughtfully sourced.
Heirloom tomato salad, Diver scallops with beautifully arranged fall vegetables and a delicious panna cotta for dessert with apple accents. All temperatures perfect. We did some ad-ons--the French pastry chef makes not only their own bread, but butter! Also had an assortment of olives and chef Tony Esnault's signature black truffle Brie which has delicious decadent layers. Nice selection of French wines by the glass.
Highly recommend!
Merci beaucoup! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your lunch and are appreciative of your recognition of the sourcing of ingredients. We hope to welcome you back to Knife Pleat soon!
Consistently delicious! Always leave satisfied and happy!
Thank you very much!
The food was delicious ,wait staff explained each dish and components which made the meal even more interesting and enjoyable. The desserts were perfect not too sweet and perfect marriage of flavors . The best pannecotta ive ever had
Thank you very much for your thoughtful review.
This is a place that wants you to think this is fine French cuisine but it just isn't. I had their Duck Cassoulet for lunch. It was a duck leg in beans with a few extra undercooked pieces of celery in it. No crunch crust, no sausage, no bacon. Just kind of boring. I suppose the chef imagined they were simplifying and deconstructing the class dish. The marketing department said, "And it's really great that we can make it so cheaply and still charge $32 for it."
It is a nice place with good decor and ambience but for me it's all about the food and it was really lacking.
Thank you for sharing your impression. Our cassoulet is a Duck Cassoulet - not the rustic cassoulet from Toulouse you reference which includes fatty meats. The celery is intentionally crunchy not accidentally undercooked. We don't have a marketing department and we don't make anything "cheaply." Our ingredients are organic, all our proteins are from animals raised in their natural environment -- free-range, pasture raised, sustainable -- which makes the Cassoulet a steal at at $32.
Excellent food and service! I would highly recommend this great addition to Orange County!
Thank you very much!
Poor selection poor service way too expensive for what was served
Very nice setting. Outdoor seating meet and exceed all safety guidelines. Food is excellent and service is outstanding too. The lunch set menu is an excellent value.
Thank you! We're happy to know you enjoyed your experience.
Great food and service. Loved tasting menu
Thank you for joining us for our special Tasting Menu dinner. We're happy to hear you enjoyed the experience.
Excellent food and service, save room for desert.
Beautifully designed, elegant casual seating, superb layout. Pristine kitchen! Handcrafted cocktails to enjoy, great variety of wine and premium spirits. We love the place! And that was before we tested the food. We chose the Lobster Caesar as an appetizer before our lunches. The Pre-Fixe menu was well thought out and great portions. Butternut squash bisque to start. Delicious! Sea Bream was to die for. Crispy skin, tender & moist flesh!! Accompanied by Brussel Sprouts, Mushrooms, and Roasted Miniature Potatoes! The Fig Panna Cotta was amazing, and I usually do not like any dessert. But I thoroughly enjoyed this creation by Chef Esnault! Thank you for a wonderful meal and a very enjoyable experience. We shall see you this coming Friday for the Chef Tasting Menu! Our server and the restaurant's entire staff were amazing. This is the art of fine dining at its best! They made us feel at home and wonderfully comfortable. We love everything about Knife Pleat!
We went for my wife’s birthday and we really enjoy it
The service was very polite and attentive. Unless it is hot, I recommend eating outside, though the interior decor is nice.
The old fashioned, mushroom pasta, and Louis XV are sure to please.
The food is delicious. Chef Tony is very skillful at his craft. The service is friendly and attentive. Their wine selection is outstanding. Great for lunch or dinner.
Excellent!
Merci!
Such a treat...beautiful and comfortable seating, very accommodating on special requests, food and service impeccable....10 out of 5 stars
We're so happy to to know you enjoyed your experience at Knife Pleat!
Everything was excellent. The service was great. The food was delicious. Overall we had a great experience.
Thank you, Lily!
Great food and great service
We enjoyed everything!!! Beautiful
So happy they are back to doing business. Chef Tony is amazing!!! The wine list is fabulous and the menu changes all the time based on what fresh ingredients are available. Service is top notch. They will wait on you hand and foot. Ya know the restaurant has class when the waiter picks up your party is celebrating an occasion when nobody mentions anything. For example, we went to celebrate my birthday and I had a little bday gift bag on the bench next to me. None of us had mentioned anything to the waiter and he picked up that someone in our party was celebrating a birthday and prepared a wonderful little dessert bday celebration. Service like that is so rare nowadays. Please do yourself a favor and go. I recommend sitting out In the garden terrace as the tables are very charming.
Dear Mary, Thank you for your very kind review. We're so happy to know that you enjoyed your experience at Knife Pleat!
Our experience at Knife Pleat was great. Sid, our server was a delight! All the staff were so nice from our hostess to all the water service and everyone we encountered. The food was excellent and so bright! We look forward to going again soon.
FAQs
Knife Pleat offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (714) 266-3388.
Knife Pleat is rated 4.8 stars by 247 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.